


strawberry milk

by Chocchi



Category: Free!
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 23:38:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7382200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocchi/pseuds/Chocchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haruka and Makoto try to take a study break. The twins are good at helping with the distraction part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	strawberry milk

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my docs for..... well. a long time. i finally polished it off and my lovely beta (ilu tenma) gave me some suggestions and the go ahead, so here we are.  
> happy early fourth of july, if you celebrate it!

_English_ , Makoto thinks miserably, staring down at his textbook. What’s so _hard_ about it? Why does it make his brain hurt this much? He’s not that bad of a student, he doesn’t think, but it just won’t _click_.

“You can’t set it on fire with your mind,” Haru says, from across the table. He doesn’t look up from his own notebook, but Makoto is pretty sure the motion of his pencil isn’t shaping out _homework_.

“Let me dream, Haru-chan,” he says. He props his elbow up on the table and rests his chin on his hand. “Do you understand any of this?”

Haru shrugs, noncommittally.

“You don’t, do you?” Haru just makes a humming noise. Makoto reaches across the table with his free hand and makes a grabby motion at Haru’s notebook. “What are you drawing? Can I see?”

“It’s not done,” Haru mutters.

“Haaaruuuu….”

“ _Fine_.”

Haru shoves his notebook into Makoto’s reach, and Makoto eagerly flips it around for inspection. His own face stares back up at him-- a handful of different little sketches, from the befuddled stare he’d been giving the textbook to the arc of his stroke as he swims, and even the bright, beaming grins he saves for Haru.

“Aww, Haru,” he says.

“Shut up,” Haru grumbles, sinking down to pillow his head on his crossed arms. Makoto can see the tips of his ears flushing pink. He wants to ruffle Haru’s hair and tell him he’s cute, but past experience and Haru’s narrowed eyes tell him that that would only get him a scoff and a sulky boyfriend.

“You should come over here,” Makoto offers, instead. Haru squints at him suspiciously. Makoto scoots back from the table a little and pats his lap. “I mean-- maybe it’s time for a study break?”

“Neither of us have actually been studying for the last twenty minutes,” Haru says. “There’s nothing to take a break from.”

“Hey,” Makoto says. “I was _trying_.”

Haru’s lips curve up into a tiny smile. “Uh-huh.”

“I _was_ ,” Makoto says, pouting a little. “More than you were!”

Haru had just started to lose the color in his cheeks, but now it’s back in full force. He reaches across the table and snatches his notebook back. “Whatever.”

“Come on,” Makoto wheedles, patting his lap again. “Ten minutes. Maybe then we’ll be able to focus again.”

Haru makes a show of considering it. Makoto feels his own expression light up when Haru sighs, dramatically, and starts to unfold himself to crawl around the table.

Then the door slams open.

“WE’RE HOOOME!”

“How’s _this_ for a study break,” Haru says, wryly, as Makoto groans in despair. He was so close…!

“Nii-san!” Ren hollers, bounding around the corner and over to Makoto. “Haru-san!”

“Haru-san!” Ran cries, hot on Ren’s heels. She throws herself into Haru’s lap. “Nii-san!”

“Hey, guys,” Makoto laughs. Haru mumbles something that could, with a little imagination, be considered a greeting. Makoto obligingly makes room for Ren to settle himself into his lap. “Where’s Mom?”

“She dropped us off and went back out for groceries,” Ren says, wrinkling his nose at the grown-up concept of _running errands_.

Makoto frowns. “But we don’t need--?”

“You’re out of milk and strawberries,” Haru says, shortly.

“Milk and str-- we had a full carton of strawberries yesterday!”

Haru stares down the twins. They squirm uncomfortably. Makoto remembers, with a growing sense of dread, that Haru had been in charge of babysitting last night while all the older Tachibanas were busy with errands.

“We just wanted strawberry milk,” Ran finally says.

“Ah,” says Makoto.

“Haru-san could have told us we were making it wrong _before_ we used up the strawberries,” Ren adds, sullenly.

“You had already started the blender when I got back from the bathroom,” Haru says.

“How on Earth did you reach the blender?” Makoto asks, baffled. It’s on one of the higher shelves, and the twins can’t even easily reach the countertops yet.

“Teamwork!” Ran cheers, reaching over to high-five Ren.

“Climbed the counters,” Haru mouths to Makoto, over Ran’s head. Makoto sighs.

“You could have just said something, and we could’ve gone to the store and…”

“But we had strawberries and we had milk,” Ren says. “We shouldn’t have _had_ to go to the store! Why do we need anything else for strawberry milk?”

“If we knew, we wouldn’t have to buy strawberry milk,” Haru says.

Ren and Ran squint at him suspiciously, like they don’t believe he really doesn’t know.

“Maybe Mom will pick up strawberry milk for you at the store,” Makoto offers.

Ran groans loudly, sagging in Haru’s arms in exaggerated defeat.

“Was it hard to clean up?” Makoto asks Haru, resignedly. Haru just shrugs.

“Could’ve been worse,” he says. “They tried to yank the top off the blender when they saw me come in, though.”

Makoto cringes. Then he thinks about it, and realizes--“Is that why you were wearing my shirt when I got back yesterday?”

“Mine was a casualty,” Haru says. Makoto nods understandingly. Such is often the case with looking after the twins.

“Haru-san’s shirt didn’t even get that messy,” Ran says. “ _I_ think he just wanted to wear nii-san’s shirt.”

“I’m not sure you’re the best judge of what counts as messy, Ran,” Makoto says, amusedly. Everyone in the Tachibana household has suffered through trying to wipe her down after a muddy day before. But then, Haru’s gone red-faced again, so maybe she’s on to something after all? “And I don’t really want to think about what happens when you take the top off a blender full of strawberries and milk.”

“It wasn’t _that_ bad,” Ran sulks. “S’just like spilling milk normally.”

“Except at high speeds, in every direction,” Haru says. “With half-pureed chunks of strawberry.”

“Well, you did a good job of cleaning it up,” Makoto says. “I never would have known. Did you tell Mom and Dad?”

“No,” Ren and Ran chorus.

“Yes,” Haru says.

“Haru-san!” Ren cries. “You told on us?”

“Yes.”

“Haru-san!”

“They had to know where the strawberries and milk went,” Haru says, but apparently it’s too late for apologies-- Ran is flinging herself out of Haru’s lap with cries of his betrayal, and Ren is in hot pursuit. They make wobbly, crocodile-tear-filled faces at him as they go skittering down the hallway. They’re probably going to hide away in their room and plot “revenge.”

Makoto just hopes there’s not glitter involved again.

Haru mutters something about “didn’t even get in trouble, don’t know why they’re complaining,” as he slumps over on the table, landing face-first in his textbook.

“That’s kids for you,” Makoto says, smiling at the fond exasperation in his own voice.

“And you want to work with them for the rest of your life,” Haru points out.

“Ah, well,” Makoto says. He smiles a little wider, propping his elbow up on the table so he can lean his chin into his palm and peer down at Haru, who turns his head to squint up at Makoto warily. “Haru-chan is difficult sometimes, too, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you, too, hm?”

Haru gapes at him for a split second, cheeks flushing a rosy pink, right before he scrambles to his feet and tries to bolt for the door. Makoto dives for his legs.

“Haru, no!”

“Get off me,” Haru says, muffled. He tries to move, but Makoto has both arms wrapped tightly around his legs. When Makoto gets a secure hold and looks up, Haru has one hand clamped over his mouth, and is determinedly not looking anywhere near Makoto. The sudden panic that had grabbed Makoto’s heart eases at the sight of Haru’s red, red ears-- he’s just embarrassed. “I’m going for a run.”

“No you’re not,” Makoto says, firmly. He knows Haru gets jittery when he’s embarrassed, but _geez_. It always gives Makoto a minor heart attack when he goes dashing off because he doesn’t know how to deal with having feelings. “Or if you are, wait for me to come with you.”

“You’re like Ran right now,” Haru says, and Makoto considers this. He sees the resemblance, really, with Haru trying to go out the door and Makoto wrapped around his legs to stop him from leaving.

“You think I’m cuter than Ran though,” he says, carefully unwrapping one arm to use it to pull Haru down. Haru doesn’t resist, but the angle is weird, so he tumbles down and crashes into Makoto and they both end up sprawled in an ungainly pile on the living room floor.

“Debatable,” Haru says, with his face smushed up against Makoto’s shoulder.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you so much,” Makoto says, disentangling himself enough to try to look down at Haru’s face. Haru doesn’t pick himself up in response, though. He just stays sprawled over Makoto with his face buried in Makoto’s shirt.

“I know. You’re naturally embarrassing.”

Makoto laughs at that, and shifts until he can drag them both back across the floor to settle with Makoto’s back against the sofa. Haru finally props himself up enough to look Makoto in the face again, his face still pink.

“Enough of a study break for you yet?”

“Eh?” Makoto whines, wrapping his arms around Haru’s back to keep him in place. He hadn’t actually tried to move, but just in case. “But we’ve only just gotten around to the good part of the break!”

“Your parents will be home soon,” Haru says, a scolding note in his voice.

“They don’t mind,” Makoto wheedles.

“ _I_ mind,” Haru says.

“Only because Mom always asks us when the wedding will be,” Makoto says. Haru scowls at him, grumbling a little when Makoto leans up to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Please? I’m really sorry I embarrassed you.”

“Don’t apologize,” Haru mutters, turning his face into the kiss. His jaw works like he wants to say more, but can’t quite get the words out. Makoto rubs a hand up and down his back, comfortingly-- maybe this is one of those times when Haru doesn’t mind that Makoto got all mushy, but feels bad that he can’t say the same kind of thing in return. Makoto’s never minded. Haru wouldn’t be Haru if he expressed himself just like Makoto.

“I love you,” Makoto mumbles against his mouth, overcome with a sudden swell of affection.

“Hmmph,” Haru says. He presses more firmly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s shoulders. Makoto knows Haru’s way of saying _I love you too_ when he hears it-- or feels it, rather. They move in sync, moving little by little until Haru is tucked into Makoto’s lap more comfortably, with Haru not twisting his neck around for the kiss and Makoto’s legs not going numb from supporting the entirety of Haru’s weight.

Makoto smiles into the next kiss. Haru’s lips tremble like they’re trying not to do the same.

“EW,” Ren hollers. “KISSING!”

“ _Gross_ ,” Ran adds. “You’ll get cooties.”

“I think it’s a little too late for Haru and I to worry about giving each other cooties,” Makoto says. Haru has already hidden his face against Makoto’s neck out of mortification, leaving Makoto to handle the twins alone. “Do you guys need something?”

“Our math homework is too hard,” Ran says, mulishly. “We need help.”

“We have our own homework,” Haru says, turning his head just enough that it doesn’t come out muffled into Makoto’s shirt.

“We don’t want help from _you_ ,” Ren says. “You’re a _traitor_. We want help from nii-san.”

“Well…..” Makoto hesitates, then yelps when Haru pinches his side. “Ow! Ah, sorry, guys, but Haru is right.”

“You’re not even _doing_ your homework!” Ran cries. “You’re just being _gross!_ ”

“We’re taking a break,” Makoto says.

“A _gross_ break,” Ren says.

“Leave if it bothers you so much,” Haru says, and it’s Makoto’s turn to pinch him back. He doesn’t yelp, just startles a little in Makoto’s arms and makes an annoyed noise.

“How about we all work on our homework together?” Makoto suggests. He adjusts Haru until he can sit up enough to reach across the table and pull Haru’s homework over to his side of the table, making space for the twins.

“Are you going to keep being gross?” Ren asks, distrustfully.

“No,” Makoto says.

“Maybe,” Haru says.

“ _Haru_.”

Makoto suspects that if Haru wasn’t PDA-shy, he might kiss Makoto right then just to make a point. As it is, he makes another annoyed noise and turns around in Makoto’s arms so his back is to Makoto’s chest and there’s no obvious, imminent threat of more kissing.

“There,” he says. “No more being gross.”

Satisfied, the twins scramble over to drop their books all over the other side of the table.

“Let’s just share my textbook, so we have more space,” Makoto suggests, closing Haru’s textbook and moving it to the floor.

“I’m on the next page,” Haru says, as he retrieves his notebook and pencil. It takes a little more adjusting until Makoto’s found a way to reach his own notebook and pencil without dislodging Haru from in front of him, but they make it work.

“You’ll just have to help me with this page, then,” Makoto says. Haru scoffs at him but settles back, and Makoto has to take a moment to himself to hide a smile against the curve of Haru’s neck.

It has, he thinks, been a good afternoon.

 

 


End file.
